Photographs of the Hotel Europa, now a dilapidated building in the town of San Germán, in the province of Holguín, were shared on social media and sparked outrage among residents, who held the government responsible for its confiscation and subsequent neglect.
The images, published on Thursday by Ramiro Gómez, administrator of the Facebook group "Club de San Germán, Holguín", show walls with peeling paint, floors covered in debris, moss, and trash, roofs with exposed rebar, as well as semi-circular arches of colonial architecture in an advanced state of disrepair.
According to testimonies from neighbors and former residents, the hotel has been in that condition for over 15 years. Several participants in the discussion nostalgically recalled the spaces and elements that characterized the establishment, including the stained glass windows, the upholstered round seating, the drinks shelf, and the dining tables.
One of the comments noted that the property was built by Francisco Martín, known as "Pancho," and recalled that his daughter, Maritza Martín Coronel, still lives next to the building and must witness the destruction of what her father worked hard to create.
"The sad thing is... to see what his father built with dedication now destroyed... To those who took over, it cost them nothing, they simply indulged without caring for or maintaining it," wrote a participant.
Other users warned that the building is "on the verge of collapse" and considered that, without private investment, it could be completely lost in the coming years. They also recalled that next to the Europa, there used to be another establishment called New York, of which no remnants remain.
The group's administrator summarized the discontent with a statement that goes beyond the San Germán case, asserting that "destruction and neglect extend throughout Cuba, from Cape San Antonio to the point of Maisí."
The loss of these spaces is also part of the deterioration of the historical references of San Germán, a locality whose original name was replaced by Urbano Noris after the 1959 revolution, a change that many residents reject.
The Urbano Noris sugar mill, which became one of the largest mills in the country, also was left in ruins after decades of poor management and the massive closure of mills driven since 2002 by the dictator Fidel Castro (1926-2016).
In other areas of Holguín, the Vocational José Martí, the Holguín-Gibara railway station, and the El Mambisito park present similar abandonment situations.
San Germán has also faced other problems that reflect the deterioration of its services and infrastructure. In February, a fire destroyed three homes, while in August the water supply was halted following the theft of dielectric oil from a transformer.
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